There are a number of different foodstuffs that are provided in sealed cylindrical containers which have a removable cap that can be remounted to reseal the container. Some of these containers are used to contain items such as: manufactured potato chips (including manufactured corn chips or other types of food chips); olives; pickle slices; and other commodities stored in the containers in one of a dry form (e.g., potato chips) or immersed in a liquid bath (e.g., olives). (In general, manufactured potato chips are formed from potato flakes into a uniform size and shape. Other similar manufactured food chips are formed in a similar manner.) As many have experienced, when eating manufactured potato chips which are packaged in this manner, the relatively small tubular size used to laterally contain the potato chips in a stacked configuration is relatively small in diameter and this makes it difficult to manually extract the chips after a portion have been previously removed.
One problem many people encounter with such containers (with respect to manufactured food chips) is that as the manufactured food chips are removed and what becomes the top chip recedes downwardly, the chips become increasingly difficult to grasp. This leads to shaking of the container and upsetting it to obtain the contents. This results in breakage of the chips and then the broken chips are usually poured out onto one's hand and small pieces of the chips pass may through the hand and onto the floor.
Further, foodstuffs immersed in a liquid bath typically have a specific gravity heavier than water, and thus such foodstuffs tend to sink to the bottom of the container. Thus, after the foodstuff presented near the top of the container has already been extracted, the user may have difficulty in extracting the remaining foodstuffs from the container. This problem is particularly noteworthy when the foodstuff is olives, or other similarly shaped foodstuffs. Specifically, olives are generally round or elliptical in shape, and thus attempting to extract such foodstuffs from the lower reaches of a container by the use of a fork or the like results in the foodstuff rolling off of the fork and back into the liquid bath in the container. Furthermore, many cylindrical containers for containing foodstuffs such as olives and the like tend to have a relatively high height-to-diameter ratio. (It is not uncommon for an olive jar to have a height of two or three times the diameter of the jar.) This high height-to-diameter ratio makes it even more difficult to extract foodstuff from the lower reaches of such a container. One exemplary olive jar has a height of 13 cm, and an opening of 4.5 cm (thus, an effective height-to-diameter ratio of 2.9. Further in this example, the olives stored in the jar have an average length of 3 cm, and an average length of 2 cm. (Thus, a clearance of only 1 cm is allowed for extracting olives from the mouth of the jar.) If the user applies a salad fork having a width of 2.5 cm, and an angle between the tines of the fork and the handle of the fork of 30 degrees, the user is essentially incapable of extracting one of the olives from the container using the fork, short of piercing the olive with the fork. (This example is based on the Williams-Sonoma® 5 oz “Martini Olives”, 2011, and the Yamazaki Hafnia salad fork.) Consequently, the only way in which a user can extract such an olive from such a jar using such a salad fork is to pierce the olive with the salad fork. This is an undesirable method since it tends to mutilate the olive, leaving it unpresentable for use in a martini cocktail. Further, it can in fact be very difficult to pierce an olive in the lower portion of an olive jar, since the olive will tend to slip away from the tines of the fork.
In yet another application, large diameter pickle slices are commonly contained in a cylindrical container in a stacked configuration. While easier to extract from the container than olives (for example), the user must still either (1) pierce the pickle slice with a fork or the like, or use fingers to extract the pickle slice from the container. In either event the user must then allow retained liquids to drain away from the selected pickle slice over the container, or otherwise risk dripping the liquids outside of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,544,294, issued Jun. 9, 2009 (hereinafter, “the '294 patent”) provides as follows:                “ . . . a container 10 includes a vessel 12 having generally cylindrical walls and a wide opening proximate the top thereof. A slider 14 is positioned within the vessel 12. The slider 14 typically extends across substantially the entire area of the vessel 12 and either contacts the inner walls of the vessel 12 or leaves a small gap therebetween. The slider 14 engages a shaft 16 extending vertically through a substantial portion of the height of the vessel. The shaft 16 bears threads 18 and rotatably secures to the vessel 12 near a floor of the vessel 12. A threaded portion 20 is secured to, or formed on, the slider 14 and engages the threads 18 of the shaft 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the threaded portion 20 is embodied as a collar secured to a substantially planar slider 14.” (Col. 1, line 60 through Col. 2 line 4.)        “A grippable member 24 secures to the shaft 16 to facilitate gripping by the hand of a user. The user grips the grippable member 24 with the hand to rotate the shaft 16. The engagement of the threads 18 with the threaded portion 20 causes the slider 14 to translate up or down.” (Col. 2 lines 17-21.)        “ . . . the grippable member 30 is located beneath the vessel 12.” (Col 2 lines 28-29.) “A seal 34 secured to the floor 36 of the vessel 12 inhibits leakage of fluid from the vessel 12. (Col. 2 lines 36-37.)        
As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 of the U.S. '294 patent, the apparatus disclosed therein is impracticable for use with foodstuff having a diameter of 50% or more of the diameter of the container (“vessel”, 12). Thus, for example, the apparatus is impracticable for storage of items such as large diameter pickle slices (i.e., pickle slices having a diameter of greater than 50% of the diameter of the container), since the central shaft (16) would inhibit storage of such foodstuffs within the container. Furthermore, the storage capability of the apparatus described by the '294 patent is inherently limited (by virtue of the presence of the central staff 16) to items having a maximum width of less than 50% of the diameter of the container. While FIG. 2 of the '294 patent depicts food items 38 as fitting comfortably in the area between the central shaft 16 and the inner wall of the vessel 12, it will be appreciated that in order for this depicted configuration to occur, (1) the size of the food items 38 must be restricted to be less than 50% of the diameter of the vessel 12, and (2) the diameter of the vessel must be increased to greater than 50% of the size of the food items. (That is, the design of the '294 patent does not allow for food items having a diameter greater than 50% of the diameter of the vessel to be stored there within.)
Furthermore, in the design of the '294 patent, the food items 38 generally remain stationary with respect to the rotationally moving central staff 16 during operation. Consequently, the food items 38 are subjected to: (i) frictional wear with the central shaft during operation thereof; and (ii) possible binding with the treads 18 of the central shaft during operation thereof.
The design of the apparatus disclosed in the '294 patent is also subject to compromising a vacuum seal within the vessel 12 by virtue of the seal (34) between the actuator 24 (and shaft 16) and the floor (36) of the vessel. That is, over time the seal 34 can become dry if the container is stored for a length of time prior to use, and can thus allow air to enter the vessel. Likewise, over time the seal 34 can become dry if the shaft (16) is not rotated periodically with respect to the seal (34), and thus fluid within the container can leak from the container.
Such problems also exist with other products with respect to tubular containers. Such products can include corn chips, cookies, crackers, dough, other food items, and non-food items.
Other prior attempts to address these problems have been to shorten the height of the containers. While this solution improves access to some degree, it can significantly increase the costs associated with packaging. (For example, one company well-known for this type of packaging for potato chips has come out with a six-pack of small containers which are short enough to allow easy access. However, each of these reduced size packages has to be filled, safety sealed and provided with an individual cap and canister. This is demonstrative of the level of ordinary skill in this art. Other approaches may also have been attempted, but to date none has fully addressed the problems to the complete satisfaction of consumers. Concerns about these issues have been expressed for many years to those choosing to package products in this manner. Some manufacturers have not adopted this type of product and packaging because of consumer frustration over the breakage of the theoretically “perfect” potato or other chip or foodstuff.
Thus, there has been a long-felt need in the container art for an inexpensive, and/or manually operated dispensing container that provides better access to remove products or product pieces held in a tubular or other suitably shaped container. This need has been particularly acute where the contents are preferably removed by first removing a container cap which is used to seal the container and protect the sealed contents after such contents have been dispensed.
Some or all of the problems explained above and other problems may be helped or solved by the disclosures shown and described herein below. Such disclosures can also be used to address other problems not set out above or which develop or are appreciated at a later time. The future may also bring to light unknown or currently unappreciated benefits which can in the future be recognized or appreciated from the disclosure shown and described herein below.